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Sebastian Deserves Better
By: Damien Gilliams
A City Council meeting canceled two hours before it began—a criminal case and $350,000 bail. Six years later, Sebastian residents deserve to know the rest of the story.
In 2020, Sebastian voters elected me to City Council to represent them and ask difficult questions. On April 22, a properly noticed meeting was scheduled with important city business on the agenda, including a proposed vote of no confidence in the city manager.
About two hours before the meeting, the city manager canceled it. It’s not hard to guess why. His corruption had put his job on the chopping block.
COVID-19 was unprecedented, and many were unsure how to proceed, but I believed government still had a duty to function. Attendance limits, Zoom, and other options could have allowed the meeting to continue while protecting the public. It wasn’t canceled for public safety, unfortunately, it was quite the opposite.
I contacted my attorney and was advised that continuing with the meeting was lawful and more so, required by the city charter. That meeting later became the basis of my Sunshine Law conviction, which the courts upheld. I am not asking anyone to ignore that outcome. I am asking residents to consider everything that led to it.
My total bail was $350,000. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That should speak volumes. I believed then, and still believe, that the government’s and media’s response had the effect of silencing an elected official who was challenging City Hall.
The Press Journal reported that we fired the city manager that evening. We did not. His employment was placed on the agenda for an emergency meeting the following Friday. To my knowledge, that story was never corrected or retracted.
Why does this matter six years later? Because Sebastian still needs elected officials willing to challenge government before its decisions become the taxpayers’ problems.
Today, families face the septic-to-sewer crisis and the possibility of major costs. We should question every dollar, seek state and federal funding, and explore reasonable alternatives before putting that burden on residents.
We need to correct government overspending. Every dollar wasted is a dollar unavailable for infrastructure, public safety, sewer needs, or tax relief.
We must control development. Growth should be planned around our roads, drainage, utilities, and public services. They should not be allowed to change the culture and small-town feel that makes Sebastian so special.
These issues have something in common: They require elected officials who aren’t afraid to ask hard questions.
I challenged City Hall then. I am ready to do it again, to protect taxpayers, address septic-to-sewer responsibly, control spending, and manage growth while preserving the Sebastian we love.
If you believe City Hall should answer to the people, come talk to me and let’s protect our slice of paradise before it’s too late.
Damien Gilliams
Proud Former Sebastian City Council Member